DRAFT©Copyright A Brief History and Sanskriti (Culture?) of Braj-Bhoomi (the Land of Braj-Vrindavan/the Land of Radha-Krishna) Shive K. Chaturvedi Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science Department of Biomedical Engineering (Adjunct Faculty) Department of Comparative Studies in Humanities (Adjunct Faculty) The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 Introduction: If I am to be a man, then let me, Rasakhan, live as a cowherd in the village of Gokul. If I am to be an animal, then let me live always gazing among the cows of Nanda. If I am to be a rock, then let me be one upon the very hill that Krishna used as an umbrella against Indra’s storm. If I am to be a bird, then let me live In the branches of a kadamba tree on the banks of the Yamuna River. [1] Rasakhan (16th Century) (Great Muslim poet and Devotee of Krishna) This paper and lecture is aimed at to explore in brief some key historical events as well as some uniquely significant dharmic (religious?), philosophical and sanskritic (cultural?) aspects of the geographical region of India known as Brajbhoomi or the Land of Radha-Krishna. This paper 1 DRAFT©Copyright does not address other important historical aspects such as development of science and technology, dwellings, foods, clothing, numismatics, archeology, languages and literatures epigraphy, art and iconography, agriculture and gardening, social and economic, and political structure and governance. The city of Mathura in the state of Uttar Pradesh- a nucleus of Brajbhoomi- has been one of the most ancient cities of political power and important commercial cities situated at the cross-roads of the various international trading routes (refer to the enclosed map) -that went westwards to West Asia and the Roman Empire; northwards, via Taxila, Pushkalavati and Purushapur to Central Asia and the Silk Route and eastwards to China- at least for more than two thousand five hundred years. This city- whose origins go back to thousands of years of ancient history, shrouded in mystery - is located at a distance of 145 km south-east of Delhi and 58 km north-west of Agra, covering an area of about 3,800 sq. km., today, and Yamuna river flows through the center of the Mathura district. Brajbhoomi can be divided into two distinct units - the eastern part in the trans-Yamuna tract with places like Gokul, Mahavan, Baldeo, Mat and Bajna and the western side of the Yamuna covering the Mathura region that encompasses Vrindavan, Govardhan, Kusum Sarovar, Barsana and Nandgaon. (Refer to the attached maps). The city of Mathura is also the birth place of Bhagavan (God) Krishna- the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the most complete, or the ultimate manifestation of God. His descent (avatar) and his lilas, or divine/human playful activities, as documented in the ancient traditional scriptures such as Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Padma Purana, and varaha Purana dates back to about 5000 years. According to a chronology based on the information given within the massive 100,000-verse Mahabharata Epic worked out by Dr. K.N.S. Patnaik, the above event took place at the end of Dwapar and the beginning of Kali-Yuga just around 3200 BCE. Incidentally, the time cycle as conceived by Hindu seers consists of 1000 cycles of four Yugas or distinctive ages, with Kali being the shortest of 432,000 human years; and within this scheme the present age of the universe is estimated to be around 31 trillion years-that is close to the modern cosmological calculations. The term ‘Bra-Bhoomi’ does not refer to an area with clearly defined political and/or administrative boundaries. It is derived from the Sanskrit linguistic term, ‘vraja’, which is used in the oldest accounts of Krishna’s childhood lilas or playful activities to mean ‘an enclosure of herdsmen’ and as ‘a place where cows roam’. Therefore, the term ‘Braj-Bhoomi’ is recognized as the name for the region or land full of hills, forests, ponds and groves, and of course the Yamuna river where Krishna grazed his cattle and played out his lilas with his foster parents and cowherd playmates, and in which all the sacred places associated with his childhood years are located. Vrindavan, just 15 kilometers from Mathura is another major place of great importance- a pilgrimage. The term,’Vrindaban’, as Vrinda-Van means the Van or forest of Vrinda, or Tulasi- a 2 DRAFT©Copyright plant of Basil-plant family. This name evokes the divine playfulness and most lovable lilas of Shri Krishna with gwalas (playmate boys) and gopis (playmate girls) and His consort Shri Radha. This town of about 60-70 thousand residents hold more than 5000 temples, along with some major temples of great historical and religious significance. The two small groves known as the “Nidhi-Ban” and “Seva-Kunj” are recognized to be the most sacred because it is believed that Radha-Krishna with their divine friends still play out their lilas every night within these groves. All the major and minor activities including social, religious and economic revolve around Radha-Krishna and their devotees. In fact, the residents and the pilgrims in this town belonging to various Hindu social strata and castes, including Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians imbibe Krishna tradition. One can also discover that the saints and devotees belonging to almost all kinds of religious traditions-some from other countries such as the members of International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) - hold their permanent places, often called ashrams, in Vrindaban: this place has become such a place of magnetic attraction. Political History: The traditional accounts of Mathura, the city, the region, and the people come from various Vedic literatures, the Ramayana and Mahabharata Epics, the Puranas, as well as from the Buddhists and Jaina sources. In one account, Satrughna, the younger brother of Lord Rama(one of the most significant avatars of Lord Vishnu), established the city of Mathura after defeating and killing the asura/rakshasa(demon) Lavana, the son of demon king Madhu-so goes the name Madhura-a variant of Mathura. This city then became a royal capital as well an important commercial center. Later on, this came under the patronage of Yadavas, and ruled by a king name Surasena, the father of Vasudeva and Kunti. The ancient texts- from third or fourth century BCE-belonging to Jaina and Buddhist traditions also describe the Surasenas, with its capital at Mathura. Shri Krishna was born in the Yadava lineage, as described in detail in Bhagavata Purana. The historicity of Surasena and Mathura city is further attested by Greek and Latin writers quoting Megasthenes [2]: “Arrian writes that the god Herakles was held in special honour by thr Sourasenoi, an Indian tribe who possess two large cities, Methora and Cleisobora and through country flows a navigable river called Iobars. He adds that Herakles had a single daughter called Pandaia---. Pliny writes that the river Jomanes flows through the Palibothri into the Ganges between the towns of Methora and Carisobora. Ptolemy refers to a Modoura, the city of gods, which sounds close to Madurai, but the context suggests that it might be the northern Mathura.” 3 DRAFT©Copyright Mathura remained well established and an important political and urban center , as well as commercial center through the Maurya, post-Morya, Sunga to the Kushana periods from 3rd century BCE through 4th century CE. Invaders and Mughal Rulers of Delhi Sultanate: Here is a brief mention of some of the aggressive foreign invaders, who though ruling from Delhi impacted greatly the land of Braj and its tradition. Mahmud of Ghazni: He came in from the town of Ghazni near Kabul in Afganistan and raided, plundered, and looted North- central part of India in the 11th century. Muhammad Ghuri: He invaded India, and defeated the famous Rajput king Prithvi Raj in 1192. He went back while leaving behind his most able slave Qutb-ud-Din Aibak to rule the captured part of the North-central region of India. He can be called the first Sultan of Delhi. Babur: The first Turkis, a descendant of Genghis Khan, became ruler of Delhi Sultanate in 1525. Humayun: The son of Babur took over the throne in 1530 after the death of his father, and later he lost to Sher Shah, another Afghan Ruler, but regained his power in 1556. Then he could rule only for six months due to his sudden death, and his son Akbar who was only about 14 years of age took over the throne. Akbar: He just like his predecessors was a ruthless medieval war lord who had unquenchable intent on conquest of new territory. In 1583, he founded the citadel, and named it Allahabad, the city of Allah. He had also imposed a special tax known as jizya on Hindus, and under his rule Hindus were forced to convert to Islam. Later in his life, it appears, “some time about the middle of 1562 there was a remarkable change in Akbar’s outlook in life---.”[3], and he started supporting the temples of Brajbhoomi by giving grants. This relationship with the Braj was fostered through his most important minister Maharaja Man Singh son of Maharaja Bhagavandas of the Prithviraj family. Jahangir: He reigned from Delhi after the death of his father Akbar from 1605 through 1627, and continued his financial support to temples that started by his father. Shah Jahan: the son of Jahangir became the ruler-the Mughal Emperor- of Delhi Sultanate in 1627. He also continued patronage of temples and Braj culture to some extent. 4 DRAFT©Copyright Aurangzeb: He took over the sultanate in the year 1679 from his father Shah Jahan by killing his three brothers, and thus became most ruthless and violent Mughal Emperor.